8 benefits of trees in your landscape

Locals need to consider options when choosing

The location of trees in a landscape is a very important consideration. Also, trees inevitably generate maintenance tasks. In Hampton Roads, storms tend to take them down. Notwithstanding storm damage, here are eight benefits of including trees in your home or business landscape.

•Aesthetics. Trees are creatures of beauty and grandeur. They offer beauty in each season with their form, bark, foliage, flowers, fruit, and sometimes fragrance.

In addition to their seasonal variations, they change in size and character over time. Some trees will become quite large and are magnificent just for their size, irrespective of their species.

•Shade and wind break. The shade of trees, placed on the south side of a house, can significantly cool a house in the summer with estimates of 30 percent lower air-conditioning bills compared to an unshaded house. In the summer, the temperature under a tree can be 9 degrees lower than an adjacent area and up to 25 degrees lower than air above nearby blacktop. We intuitively know the value of tree shade when we search for the shade of a tree in the desert-like expanse of an asphalt parking lot. Evergreen trees (broad leaved or conifers) placed on the northwest side of a house to act as a windbreak can save up to 20 percent on winter heating costs.

•Architectural elements. Trees serve as the structure of a landscape and form the walls and ceilings that create outdoor spaces. They can be used to frame a view, serve as a focal point, form boundaries, act as a privacy screen, or create outdoor rooms. A particularly elegant example of an architectural space created by trees is that formed by a double row (allée) of vase-shaped trees (e.g., American elm, American yellowwood). The meeting of the arching branches between the rows creates a space like that beneath a cathedral ceiling.

•Noise abatement and pollution reduction. Trees reduce noise levels, trap particulates, and absorb carbon dioxide and gaseous pollutants. One hundred trees can remove five tons of carbon dioxide and 1,000 pounds of particulates and gaseous pollutants in a year.

•Erosion prevention and runoff reduction. Tree canopies reduce the impact of raindrops on the soil and the network of tree roots helps keep soil in place.

•Property value. Research has shown that an attractive landscape can increase the value of a home by 5 percent to 11 percent.

•Wildlife habitat. Trees serve as a shelter, nesting site, food, perch, and residence for many birds, mammals, and insects.

•Social and emotional value. Trees serve as a link to nature, give a sense of well-being, and are often the site of social events such as picnics. Of course, children are tantalized by the sight of a good climbing tree and a rope swing.

The key aspects in planning a tree planting are determining the function of the tree, the site conditions, that the tree is suited to site conditions and space, and if you are better served by a container-grown or a ball and burlap plant.

Relf is a retired extension specialist in environmental horticulture. This article was written via the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, and Virginia State University.